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I. Voyages to the New World
- a. Spanish attempted to reach same destination as Portuguese by sailing across Atlantic
- i. Their greater resources allowed establishment of far grander overseas empire than Portuguese
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Columbus Funding
- a. Columbus
- i. Knowledgeable Europeans knew earth was round, but didn’t know circumference or extent of Asia
- 1. Columbus misled by assumed circumference of Asia and thought he could sail west instead of around Africa
- a. Rejected by Portuguese, but supported by Queen Isabella of Spain
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Columbus Voyages
- i. Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, and 90 men on Aug 3, 1492
- 1. Oct 12: Bahamas and then Cuba and Hispanoila
- a. He thought it was Asiaand told Isabella and Ferdinand that he’d find gold and convert the natives
- ii. Three other voyages, he sought Asian mainland
- iii. In his four voyages, he landed on all major islands of the Caribbean and mainland of Central America
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Other Explorers after Columbus: John Cabot, Pedro Cabral, Amerigo Vespucci
- i. John Cabot
- 1. Explored New England coastline of Americas under license from Henry VII of England
- ii. South America discovered accidently by Pedro Cabral in 1500
- iii. Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine
- 1. Wrote letters describing geography of New Worldà “America”
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Other Explorers after Columbus: Balboa, Magellan
- i. Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer
- 1. Led expedition across Isthmus of Panama and reached Pacific in 1513
- ii. Ferdinand Magellan in 1519
- 1. After passing through strait at southern tip of S. America, he sailed across Pacific Ocean and reached Phillipines, were he was killed by natives
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New Territory
Interests
- a. Europeans called new territory the New World
- i. Americas= opportunities for conquest and exploitation
- b. Interests:
- i. Spanish: 1494 treaty of Tordesillas
- 1. Divided up new world into separate Portuguese and Spanish spheres of influence and most of South America were in Spanish Sphere
- a. Route east around Cape of Good Hope= Portuguese
- b. Route across Atlantic= Spain
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